


Period

by bananannabeth



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 02:25:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13261659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananannabeth/pseuds/bananannabeth
Summary: Annabeth gets her period, and Percy tries his best to help.





	Period

 

Percy heard the groan before he opened the door, and all of his senses were instantly on high alert. He pulled Riptide from his pocket and stepped gingerly into the apartment, peering around the corner to check for danger. 

 

When he didn’t see anything moving, he stepped properly into the room and called out, “Annabeth?”

 

“Here.” Her reply was pitiful, more a moan than a word. 

 

Percy followed the sound until he spotted her, curled up under a blanket in the armchair in the corner. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach and she was grimacing.

 

“Annabeth, what’s happened?” He rushed to her side, flicking the light on as he went, and dropped to his knees in front of her. He brushed her hair back off her clammy forehead and pressed the back of his palm against her skin, feeling how hot she was. “Are you sick?”

 

She winced and shook her head. “No, I’m -”

 

“Did you get attacked walking home? I knew I should have left with you, have you had nectar? Is that why you’re so hot, did you have too much? Do you need me to dress the wound? What can I do?”

 

“Percy,” she said, and he was infinitely relieved when he saw the ghost of a smile flicker across her features. “I’m fine.”

 

He grabbed her hand where it was resting on her stomach and stroked the pad of his thumb over the back of her knuckles. “You’re not fine, you look like you’re being punched in the guts.”

 

She swallowed and looked down at her lap. “Uterus, actually.” 

 

“Uterus? What do you -  _Oh._ Oh. Okay. Ah.”

 

Annabeth gave him a look that was pure exasperation and Percy felt his cheeks heat up. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and sat up straighter, obviously trying to look unaffected. 

 

“See? It’s just a period. No big deal.” Her tone was breezy, but the sentiment was immediately undermined when she lurched forward, clutching her sides and moaning lowly.

 

He frowned. “Uh, anything that makes you double over in pain is a big deal. I’ve seen you take a hit from a spear with less pain than this.”

 

“It’s just a bad one, I’ll be fine tomorrow,” she said through gritted teeth.

 

“Well what do we do in the meantime?”

 

When she looked up at him he couldn’t quite read her expression. “We?”

 

“Yeah.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not just going to leave you here to suffer alone. What do you want me to do?”

 

“Aren’t you, like… grossed out?” Annabeth looked more disgusted with herself for even voicing that thought than she did at the thought of the period itself.

 

He imagined that telling your new boyfriend the details of your period was not really a conversation any sixteen year old girl wanted to have, but he wanted Annabeth to know that she could talk to him about anything.

 

Percy rubbed the back of his neck and considered trying to look more prepared for this than he felt, but lying to Annabeth had never really been an option. “Honestly, I’m not super comfortable right now. Like, I don’t really get what’s happening or why it’s hurting you so much -”

 

“My uterus is tearing itself apart,” she deadpanned.

 

“Wow, okay, that sounds terrifying and doesn’t really make me feel any more comfortable.”

 

She didn’t look too impressed with that, so Percy forced himself to finish his thought.

 

“But anyway, my point is that it doesn’t matter how uncomfortable I am because you’re, like… obviously… less comfortable? That’s not quite what I mean, but…” He sighed, frustrated with himself for not being able to articulate what he was feeling. “I don’t like seeing you in pain. Even if you do have to deal with this every month because it’s a natural thing, so I don’t really see a point in getting grossed out by it, I mean I’ve seen you covered in monster guts and dirt and blood and stuff before, this can’t really be any grosser than that -”

 

“Percy.”

 

“Right. Yeah. Not my point. My point is, you’re hurting, and if I can do anything to help, I will.”

 

Annabeth smiled and slowly unfurled her arms from around her waist, looping them instead around Percy’s shoulders and pulling him into a hug. “Thank you.”

 

She pulled back and gave him a chaste kiss, which made Percy grin. 

 

“Well, if you really want to help…” she began, sounding cautious. “Exercise usually helps, but today the cramps are just a bit too much. Would you do a training session with me tomorrow though?”

 

“Yeah, of course.” Training with Annabeth was a routine thing, anyway, he could totally handle that.

 

Seemingly buoyed by his confidence, she quickly added, “And in the meantime, can you get me a heat pack, some ambrosia and a back massage?”

 

Percy shot to his feet. “Heat pack, ambrosia, back massage. Got it.”

 

As he ducked into the linen cupboard to grab the heat pack, she called after him. “Percy?”

 

He stuck his head back around the corner. “Yeah?”

 

She smiled shyly. “Thanks. For not freaking out.”

 

“Oh, I’m totally freaking out,” he said honestly. “But I’m just going to channel all of this nervous energy into the best back rub you’ve ever had.”

 

Annabeth laughed and Percy went back to assembling his period-battle-kit, glad that he could do something to help, even if it was just as simple as making her laugh.

 

 


End file.
